The Fall of Genosha
by Briteflame14
Summary: The Starjammers have gone their separate ways; Lorna, believing Alex to be dead, set out for Genosha to build a different life. During her absence, the X-Men mange to recover Alex, alive and well. Surprises and homecoming's are put on pause when Sentinels find and obliterate the peaceful island and everyone on it. Lorna is found in the wreckage, but there's something...wrong.
1. The Graveyard Shift

Chapter One: The Graveyard Shift

I came in, brushing the sleeve of my leather jacket off. I couldn't help but whistle loudly as the key ring spun around my finger. Something about the day just seemed merrier like an odd sensation of peace hovered over Westchester County. My bike was up and running again, Scott wasn't as busy as he used to be, and we received several new students at the Mansion.

Things weren't exactly perfect though. I knew days like these; one day it would be sunny and happy and the next was terrifying and desolate. Sure we got new students today, but tomorrow something horrid would happen; an anti-mutant group would broadcast a threat or something of the sort.

Speaking of imperfect, Lorna still hadn't come back. She had taken a break from the team and headed over to Genosha to live with her family for a while. She promised that she would come back soon, yet never really specified when. As far as she was concerned, I was dead; boy, did she have a surprise waiting for her when she came back. Although I concentrated on that day she would soon come back, I couldn't have my head wrapped around it solely; I had other things to concentrate on, like Danger Room sessions with the younger kids, or being a full and loyal member of the X-Men.

"Alex! Get over here!"

I sighed, pushing the keys into my pocket and jogged down the stairs to the Rec. Room. I walked straight inside to find the entire team littered around the room, in the chairs, on the floor, or simply just standing around the TV.

"From what little information we've managed to get, we can say without a doubt that Genosha has been attacked." The news anchor on the screen said, her voice grave. "Several hundred versions of Omega Sentinels have flown over to the mutant island and began their assault. We're still unclear on who sent them, but Doctor Bolivar Trask has denied his hand in this plot."

"Hold up, hold up; how many mutants did you say lived on that island?" The second anchor asked.

"Just around 1,600,000." The first answered. "We're unsure on how Magneto, the king of Genosha, has decided to deal with this situation, or if he has even survived at all."

My blood went cold. Over one million mutants on a single island, attacked by Sentinels. That was screwed up, even for Bolivar Trask. His dream was to clear mutants from burdening the human population, but he wouldn't corner them and continue with a public mass murder; it just wasn't him. He preferred to pick us off one by one with his robots, he just loved a good challenge. This? This was no challenge. This was cruel and heartless; a total massacre.

"What we know; Sentinels were sent to the island and began to rip the mutant paradise apart. What we also know is that Bolivar Trask is allegedly not the leader of this attack. The reports confirm that Magneto and his three children were also on the island when the attacks begun. Here's what we don't know: How many Sentinels were sent and how many mutants survived. We have no idea if Magneto survived, and if he has, what power card he'll play."

"US Officials have decided not to send any troops over to aid the mutants and have been set on standby. They remain here in case Magneto does blame President Kelly and attacks America." The second reporter took over, showing several videos of destruction reporters on Madagascar and Africa have been able to record and send to the television stations.

Everyone was quiet as they went on commercial break. I guess they were just trying to absorb the situation. I wasn't any better, I was stunned into silence. 1,600,000 mutants? Hell, this might as well just bring on the great war everyone was trying to avoid.

I suddenly froze as I remembered one little detail that the media had stated; Magneto and his three children were on the island when the attack began.

Lorna happened to be one of those three children.

Fear and anxiety swelled up inside of me, making me lose footing.

"Nobody's been over there to help." Bobby said at last, breaking the silence. "Our kind is suffering and no one is helping them."

"If we go over there right now, we'll be on that massacre list." Scott said, rubbing his forehead.

"Agreed." Logan murmured. "If they can't stop it, we can't."

"How many Sentinels were sent?" Kitty asked, staring down at the ground.

"Over 100." Warren answered.

"Wait a second-" I started, trying to clear my head. "Have you all forgotten who was on that island? Our kind! Even closer, one of our own!"

"Look kid, I know she's your girl and all-" Logan began.

"No, it's not just who she is to me! It's who she is to all of us! What, it's one member, we're not gonna risk our skins and just let her and her people burn?" I was literally shaking; the realization of her dying just hit me like two sacks of bricks.

"No. We can't go to help them out; we'll seal our deaths for sure, but we can help salvage after." Scott said, looking at me sadly.

I shook my head. "They need our help."

"We can't help them."

I brushed my hand through my hair and spun, leaving the room. I couldn't believe it...I just needed to breathe.

When we finally got to Genosha, we weren't greeted with any happier news. The once loud and joyful lands were now silent and desolate, completely depressing. My fists clenched at the sight; not even the buildings were left. The only thing that stood was the large palace, its shine dulled due to the overhanging gray clouds.

The sight of it infuriated me. The Sentinels purposely left the palace alone and untouched, right in the middle of the land. It signified one thing that I was able to see clearly. It said Magneto was no longer the king of Genosha.

He was the king of the graveyard.

I couldn't stand to look any longer, yet I couldn't pull my eyes away.

Once the jet landed, everyone filed out faster than before, eager to get out.

"Storm, take Rogue and Iceman down to the town area. See if you can find any survivors. Gambit, you Nightcrawler, and Jean take the communication towers and the other important supplies areas. Havok, take Wolverine and Shadowcat to the palace. You might have better luck there." Scott separated us into teams easily and our group dispersed to search what was left of Genosha.

As I led my team towards the palace, I could see the imprints the bombs made in the broken grounds, several bars of iron and wire littering our path. I suddenly noticed it was the main walkway from the town to the palace, where the residents went to visit their leaders.

My stomach churned as my eyes skimmed over something that resembled a leg beneath several rocks. Logan grasped my arm and pulled me along, making me realize I had stopped to look.

"C'mon, kid." He said. "The palace is just ahead." He dragged me along until I was able to pull all of my sense back and lead the group again, Kitty trailing just behind us.

We stepped over what remained of the 50-foot palace gates and entered the large metal structure through the empty doorway. No guards, no music, no voices; just total silence.

The fact that the palace had been completely unscathed- not even a scratch or smudge on the floors -was terrifying. It was like a horror movie, only worse; it was real, and it was against us.

"Split up?" Kitty asked, rubbing her arms. I didn't blame her, I was just as creeped out.

"No. Although the palace is abandoned, I'm not taking the chance. Smaller Sentinels could be crawling around waiting for us." I said, looking around. "We'll take the upstairs level first."

That's how we moved, from the top level down. Adding to my horror, there was absolutely no one on any of the floors. Not Erik, not Wanda or Pietro, not Lorna, absolutely no one.

On the very top level, we found several bedrooms. At the very end of the hall, there was a large room easily recognizable as Erik's. The stand beside the oversized bed was a dead giveaway as well; it was for his helmet. Portraits of what looked like a younger version of himself hung on the walls, adding the air of superiority to the room. Still, nobody there.

I led them out and into several other rooms along the hall, still finding nothing.

Finally, we got to the last room at the end of the hall. It wasn't plain like the others but it wasn't filled either. There were three unmistakably familiar suitcases against the wall in the corner. Kitty and I exchanged a glance as Logan began sniffing the room out.

All of a sudden, something off to the side caught my eye, drawing me closer. I turned, walking towards the silver nightstand and grasped the small gray object in my hand. It was attached to three keys; it was about three inches long and shaped like a flat triangle, one word engraved on each face: I, Love, and You. I had given it to Lorna for her twenty-second birthday and I knew she carried it everywhere; even to foreign countries.

The only difference now was that the words weren't the same; the only people who had the power to change it were Lorna herself and her father.

I paled as I read each word on each of the faces: Help, Us, and All.

I turned it over in my hands, trying to fight the tears that welled in my eyes.

"This is her room." I said, grasping the keychain firmly. "Can you get her scent?"

Logan walked up to me, sniffing the pendant thoroughly before turning his nose upwards. "Yep." He said, sniffing the air. "Her room alright."

"Can you follow it?" Kitty asked, hopeful.

"Yeah...it goes outside."

We both followed Logan silently, leading away from the bedrooms. Before I knew it, we were standing on the large walkway that overlooked the waterfalls; whatever remained of them anyways. The large falls had stopped flowing, reduced to little trickles down broken rock. The water beneath the walkway was dirty and filled with stones and gunk that I didn't really feel like naming at the moment.

I nearly stumbled into Logan and Kitty into me as he stopped abruptly.

"Trail goes dead here. I can smell Magneto too. About two to three days old at most."

My grasp tightened around the keychain as we turned to look around.

Where could the royal family have gone?

"What's that? Down there?" Kitty pointed up to another balcony that overlooked the other side of the island. It looked thicker than the one we stood on.

Logan and I exchanged a glance before he shrugged.

"Let's go."

We found our way up and around to the balcony. It looked like it was only used by the upmost class, or in other words, Erik and his children.

A cold shiver ran through me and refused to leave. I stood there, trying to catch my breath at the awkwardly familiar sensation.

"Havok? Are you alright?" Kitty asked, touching my back, having no effect.

My heart began to sink to my stomach as I suddenly remembered where I had felt the awkward sensation and my blood iced even further if that was possible.

I turned slowly, looking at Logan. "Logan...do you feel that?" I asked, lifting my hand to move my fingers in front of my face. The air felt thicker, like you could almost touch it if you tried.

"Do you?" He asked, moving his arms as well.

"No kidding." I answered, moving around some more.

"What?" Kitty asked, oblivious to the feeling.

I moved forward, my boot landing on the edge of a tile. It shook and I pulled back quickly, looking at it.

A hatch door. I had stepped on a door.

"Magnetic field." Logan said, answering Kitty. "It's weak but it's definitely there."

I stepped back, examining the ground. It turned out that four tiles were pieced together as one large door. I bent down, lifting the door. Beneath was a dark hole that continued for maybe forty feet.

"I can go down." I said immediately, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. "I can use my power as a light."

"No way, Summers." Logan answered just as quickly. "It could be dangerous."

"Look, there's no way we can find out what's down there unless someone goes." I was eager now; I needed to know what was under the ground.

"What if there's nothing there? You'll be stuck at the bottom until we can get the others."

Logan was making me impatient. "Tell them to get the rope and head over; we've found something."

I didn't really wait for an answer. Kitty turned to switch her communicator on and I jumped down the hole in the floor.

I pushed my arms and legs against the wall, controlling my fall. The beam in my chest turned on and illuminated the surrounding areas, making everything about my descent easier.

My boots touched the metal at the bottom and I let myself go, brushing my gloved hands off. The space extended into another area, but stopped several feet away from me. Just like the rest of the palace, it was made of metal. I quickly realized what this was; a failsafe.

"It's a ditch! Used for hiding!" I called back up. I could see Logan's head poking out trying to see me. "I'd say a good sixty feet!"

I turned, looking; I had to squint. Although my beam was bright, the cave itself was large, therefore the light didn't travel very far. This must have extended into the palace, either underground or in the ceiling somewhere.

I skimmed the cave one last time when I caught the glimpse of what looked like an elbow. The longer I stared, the more clearer the body in front of me became.

I slowly took in the horror of the reality that this body was Lorna.

I wasn't sure how long I stood there; when I was able to get my sense back, I bent down, touching her bare shoulder. Whatever clothes she had been wearing tore, barely covering her now.

Tears sprung in my eyes again as I noticed her long green strands sprawled randomly around her head, covering her face.

She laid on her side, her back facing me. My trembling hands found their way to her arms, rolling her onto her back. I cupped her face, ran my hand over her skin, all while trying to hold back a whimper of fear and sadness.

I pushed my fingers to the inside of her wrist, checking for her pulse. Before I had the chance to determine if it was there or not, she sprung up and tackled me, knocking me flat onto my back.

I half expected her to stop and shout out my name in complete joy and surprise or to hug me tightly instead of attack, but she did none of that. Lorna sat on my torso, her hands finding their way around my throat.

I laid there in shock for a few moments before grasping her beneath the arms and pushing her off of me.

She growled and flung herself at me once again, but I ducked and let her hit the wall instead. I took the time to scramble to my feet.

"Lorna, stop!" I said, my hands raised in surrender. "It's me, Alex!"

She hissed at me (I wasn't sure she was able to make that noise in the first place) and threw a punch.

I caught her fist before it connected with my face and blocked her kick with my own leg. I spun her around using the fist I held, and pulled her to me, her back hitting my chest.

"Stop." I said firmly, holding her arms over her chest. "I'm here to help you."

Lorna suddenly froze and pulled away, letting the light in my chest shine again. She backed away into the opposite corner, her face paling. "Save me!" She whispered, grasping her head. "My son! Save my son!"

I shook my head. "What are you talking about, what son?"

"You've failed, Polaris!" She cried, clutching her head even tighter. "You've let us all down!" She paused. "No, I'm sorry! I tried!"

I wanted to sit there and cry. Whatever garbage she was spilling, it hurt me more than I thought.

"Alex!" Bobby called. "We're dropping the rope!"

"It's her!" I called back. "It's Lorna! She's alive...but something's wrong!"

The moment I said that, she let a panicked cry escape her.

I moved closer. "Hey, hey." I soothed, touching her bare arms. "You're okay now. I'm here, I'm saving you."

"She couldn't save us before." She whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"Do you guys have a blanket or something?!" I called. "Her clothes aren't...much."

"Why rescue her?!" Lorna shouted at me, making me jump slightly.

I stared at her, a frown falling over my face. Lorna stood there against the wall, clothes ripped and falling off, green eyes wild and scared. Her hair fell around her face, dampened curls sticking to her back and face. It nearly made me drop and cry on the spot, but I couldn't; not now anyways.

"Please make them stop." She begged, throwing herself at me. I caught her, carefully pushing her hair behind her back. "Just make them go away."

The length of rope tumbled down the side of the hole, stopping just by my knees, along with a thick blanket which landed beside me.

As I turned, I noticed a type of metallic shine in the corner where Lorna had been when I first found her. Gently, I let her go and turned and stepped towards it. The closer my light came, the more the shine grew into a red helmet. I picked it up quickly, turning it in my hands several times before looking at Lorna again. "This yours?" I asked, holding it up.

She nodded numbly, not even looking up.

Aware that her magnetic field was still up, I let it go for a moment. The helmet floated into the air; I caught it before it could go far.

"Guys!" I called up again. "Catch this and don't let it go!" I flung the helmet up, the piece of metal soaring up into the air. I let the keychain I was holding go up as well.

"Alright, Lorna, ready?" I asked gently, lifting the blanket. Trying to keep my hands from shaking, I wrapped it carefully around her form, making sure it stayed before pulling her closer to me. "Can you hold on?"

Much like a three year old, she pulled herself up to wrap her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck.

Her weight had lightened since I'd last seen her, not exactly a very good sign.

Huffing, I grasped the rope, wrapping my foot with the bottom half and began to pull us up.

"Why are you saving us?" She whimpered when we were almost to the top.

"You're gonna be okay." I replied. I knew it was irrelevant to her- their -question, but it was all I could think of.

I stopped climbing when our heads broke the top. "Take her." I groaned, turning slightly to allow them to grasp her first.

Logan grasped my upper arms, hauling me up as well.

I rested on my side for a moment, trying to purge the burning sensation from my shoulders.

The rest of the team began crowding, murmurs of excitement and concern mixing with the dead air.

"Hey, hey, back off." I said, rolling to my feet. "Get away from her."

Lorna sat down, her arms holding up the blanket over her chest. Her head was bent towards the ground like she was listening to a nonexistent conversation.

I bent down in front of her, touching her shoulder lightly. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes I hear you." She snapped, pulling away.

"Tell me what's wrong." I begged pulling my hand back.

She hissed, moving to attack again, but I only pulled her to my chest, wrapping my arms around her so she couldn't move. "Lorna, please just stop fighting me!"

"Hang on just a moment." Hank said, digging in the bag the others had brought from the jet. He fished out a syringe and moved quickly towards us.

Lorna struggled harder, stepping on my feet and kicking at my legs. I lifted her off of the ground slightly, trying to stop her.

"Hold her still!" Hank said, stopping in front of her.

Grasping her tightly, I squeezed her harder than I would have preferred, making her squeak.

Hank seized the moment and tilted her head, pushing the needle into the side of her neck.

She gasped, freezing up for a few moments before falling limp in my arms.

I groaned, gathering her into my arms. "Did you guys find anyone?" I asked, pulling the blanket up to cover Lorna's back.

The others shared the same solemn look, shaking their heads.

"No one's alive." Jean said sadly.

Although we had found who we were looking for, my skin still prickled uncomfortably.

"Not even the animals." Bobby muttered.

"Alright, X-Men. Let's get back to the jet." Scott said, gaining control again.

And to the jet we went.


	2. Goodbyes

Chapter Two: Goodbyes  
-

"Do you recall what happened?" Hank asked, scratching his head.

"Yeah. She looked unconscious at first but when I went to check her pulse, she shot up and attacked me." I sat down in the soft chair in Xavier's office, rubbing my forehead with my gloved hand. "After a moment she backed into the corner and started screaming about random stuff; about a son."

Scott's eyebrow shot up.

"I swear, it's not mine." I said, putting my hands up in surrender. "Haven't seen her since our trip in space; the turbulence up there makes it impossible to do anything. I was too busy commanding, remember?"

Hank's chest jumped as he chuckled silently. "Did she say anything else?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she was arguing with herself, like someone else was there with us...whoever was wasn't that nice to her either. She was going on about how she should die because she couldn't save everyone."

"Oh boy." He brushed his large hand through his blue hair, sighing.

"Oh boy, what?" Scott asked, turning to look at the doctor.

"I took a sample of the rock from the same place Logan and Alex were feeling the magnetic field, and from the place where the jet landed." He held up two plastic bags, both containing debris from the island. "Both were magnetized."

"But we didn't feel anything when we got off of the jet." I said, leaning back.

"Exactly. One was more effected than the other. I looked around some more, but the palace looked completely cleaned, leaving no clues of how she ended up down there." Hank scratched his head again, putting the rock samples down. "I would say she jumped, she fell, or she was pushed."

I shook my head. "No. However she got down there, it was intended. There was no way she accidentally fell down a secret hatch."

Scott shrugged. "True. It makes sense."

"She wouldn't have abandoned the people on the island to save her own skin either; the cave down there was big enough to fit a ton of others."

"That's also true, which makes me believe she was pushed. The biggest suspect; her father. The twins Pietro and Wanda must have gotten away somehow and Lorna stayed with Erik." Hank sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Sounds like something she would do." I murmured. "She's stubborn as hell."

"If that's the case, then I think he pushed her to save her. If he wasn't being threatened, he would have gone with her."

"Aren't you the problem solver." I murmured, rubbing my head again. The entire situation was giving me a headache and the fact that I had to sit here in this office trying to solve a mystery wasn't helping. "Sorry." I muttered. "Bad mood."

Hank waved his paw in acknowledgement. "That leaves the other question; where is Erik and the Maximoff twins?"

"I thought we were trying to figure out what happened to Lorna." I said, sliding down lower in the seat.

"Yes, getting back to that. Lorna's mystery is quite complicated; it's like puzzle pieces that don't fit together." Hank grasped his clipboard, looking it over. "All that we know is that she was supposedly pushed down the hole, she isn't quite...right, and there's a slowly dying magnetic field that could've been cast by her or her father."

"So basically we can't do this on our own." I said, resting my head in my hand.

"Moira would know what to do." Scott said.

Despite the ache in my head, I sat up quickly. "Wait a second, that's not what I meant. We can't just send all of our problems to Scotland and hope for the best."

"When we do, they seem to come back better." Scott answered before Hank could. "Think of it; Rogue, Warren, Professor, even I've gone to Muir Island, and we all came back perfectly fine."

"Will Moira be able to actually do something about it? If we don't even have clues, how's she supposed to help us?" Sending Lorna away only made my head hurt even more.

"Well...if she can bring Lorna back, hopefully she'd be able to remember what happened before we found her." Hank said. "I think Muir Island is the smartest choice."

"So do I." Scott said, looking at me.

Technically it didn't matter if I agreed or not, as long as the leader and the doctor agreed on something, it was a go.

I leaned back, crossing my arms. "Yeah. Sure, I guess so."

Friday evening wasn't any easier. I was down in the infirmary trying to get Lorna into a pair of clothes that she apparently wasn't so thrilled about putting on.

The medicine Hank had gotten her high on wasn't helping either of us; she was calm, but she wouldn't quit talking to herself. Whatever she was on would last her until she was in Muir Island; she probably wouldn't even remember seeing me.

I huffed as she hissed at the jeans I pulled out of the pile of clothes Hank had rested on the bed for her.

"Please just put the pants on." I begged, holding them out.

"Uh-uh." She said, shaking her head.

"You can't go in shorts. You're going all the way across the world, you need these." I said, sighing.

"I don't like the color."

I groaned. "They're blue!"

"They're gross."

"You won't even notice it! They'll probably sedate you on your way there!"

"So then why can't I go in shorts? I won't know if I'm cold or not."

I was about to sedate her right then and there but remembered it most likely wasn't her talking. Hank thought she could have adapted other personalities trying to make up for the loneliness and silence in the hole we found her in in Genosha. Still, they were all annoying.

I opened the button and fly on the jeans and bent down, rolling up the leg on the left side. "Lift your foot."

"No." Lorna said, crossing her arms.

"I swear, I don't have the patience right now." I answered, tapping her ankle. "Lift your leg."

"I don't like those."

I hissed inwardly, grasping her leg and pushed her foot into the pants leg.

She complained for a moment and reluctantly pushed her other foot into the other leg.

Sighing, I pulled her jeans up, swaying her to make sure they were up all the way and pulled the zipper up.

"Button it." I said, grasping her shirt.

"That's an ugly shirt." She said, pushing the button on her jeans through the hole.

"Jokes on you, it's your shirt." I mumbled, sliding it over her head.

"Don't be an ass."

I had to admit, I hadn't been the nicest since our trip from Genosha. My friends were seeing it, the kids I trained were seeing it, I was seeing it, hell, even Lorna and her messed up brain was seeing it. But since we'd come back, I hadn't been greeted with any news that made me happy. We still had no idea who sent the Sentinels in the first place, we couldn't get a location on any of the Maximoffs, and now Lorna was being sent away for God knows how long.

"Just put your socks on." I said, tossing her the bundle of socks.

"Yessir." She muttered, sitting down on the bed to pull the cloth over her feet.

I dragged her brown leather boots from the wall and placed them in front of her.

When she finished zipping the boots on, I pulled her gray Xavier's Mansion sweatshirt over her head.

"C'mon." I motioned for her to walk with me. "The jet's ready for you."

We walked through the sub levels in silence, side by side. She looked around as if she had never seen the hallways before, her hands tucked in the pocket in her sweater.

I held her smaller suitcase, surprised that she had any left, and her backpack was slung over my shoulder. I tapped her arm and led her down to the hangar.

"Woah." She marveled at the large and sleek Blackbird that rested silently in the middle of the room.

"Not today." I said, steering her away. We walked to the separated room where the smaller jets were kept, stopping at the one where Scott, Hank, and Jean stood.

"All set." I murmured, loading the single suitcase into the aircraft.

"Good." Jean said, smiling as she grabbed Lorna's hand. "Scott and Hank will take her over."

"Thanks, buddy." Scott said, patting my shoulder.

"This is hers." I handed him the backpack. "Be careful with it."

Scott held my gaze for a moment before nodding. "Promise."

Lorna pushed between me and Scott and hugged me, tighter than usual. "Bye!" She squealed, pressing her ear to my chest.

I hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. She wouldn't take it as passionately as I intended it to be, but as long as I was able to kiss her, I was okay.

She pulled back, bounding up the stairs to the jet.

"Be careful guys." I said as Scott and Hank followed.

"Don't worry." Hank assured. "We'll be back by tomorrow."


	3. Routine

**A/N: Thank you so much to** **Arkham House** **for reviewing! I'm terribly sorry for the delay, but hopefully I can post the next few chapters (if not all!) by today. Read on!**

Chapter Three: Routine

I woke to a soft pang in the back of my head. My back ached and I groaned at the bright light that filtered through the blinds. The walls were a soft blue, the mattress a bit softer than I would have preferred.

No bombs. No screams. Absolute silence.

I shot up despite my back's protests, glancing around. The heart monitor clip was taped to my finger, my green hair pulled back into a basic ponytail.

I slowed my breathing down as I remembered my unfortunate stay in Muir Island. I sighed, pulling my knees to my chest. My life couldn't get much better, and the few voices that remained in my head didn't help much.

"Mornin' Lorna." The nurse- Judy, I think -came in, the standard tray in her hand. "How are ya?"

I shook my head. "No better than yesterday."

"Had anymore of those nightmares ya told Moira 'bout?" She asked, setting the tray down on the nightstand beside my bed.

"Every night." I sighed, glancing over at the tray. "Do I have to?"

"D' ya wanna go home?"

Three little paper cups, filled with a few pills each. So much damn medication...who the hell was paying for the bills when I get out of here?

"I'm not really depressed." I muttered. "I just act like it."

"You only act like it because you are." She said, gesturing for me to take the medicine.

I sighed, grasping the water bottle beside my bed and uncapped it. I took the medicine like a good patient I was and almost drowned in water.

The nurse smiled, taking the tray up again. "Good. Now clean up, I'll be back in a little while to bring you to your morning appointment."

The minute she closed the door I flopped back on the bed, groaning. Look at me; an X-Man, sitting in a nut house taking medications and waiting to be _brought_ to an appointment. Pathetic.

When Janet-or-whatever-the-hell-her-name-is said clean up, she didn't mean take a shower. There wasn't a shower here, in case I let another personality take over and drown myself, but they trusted me with my own toilet and sink; not a towel or a paper towel dispenser, just in case I decided to smuggle myself. Funny, huh? Was it even possible to smuggle yourself?

I washed my face and rolled on a layer of deodorant before shimmying out of my pajamas. Since I was still feeling a bit tired, I pulled on another pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt. I pulled the tie out of my hair and slid it onto my wrist, letting my hair fall around my upper arms.

Julie came back to escort me into the west wing of the massive facility, where all of the appointments were held. She let me into the same large library my sessions were always held in and closed the door behind me; I could hear the lock in the door twist shut.

"Good mornin'" Doctor Moira McTaggart greeted, gesturing for me to sit in the large leather seat across from her.

I did, trying not to slide on the slippery material. "Hi." I replied halfheartedly.

Her smile dimmed a little but never went away. "How are ya feelin' this mornin'?"

"I dunno. I just got up."

"Nightmares?"

"All the time."

She stared at me and I at her for several minutes.

"Today, I want ta work on gettin' a few more of those...voices out." She said, pulling her glasses down over her eyes. "Which one bothers ya the most?"

"All of them." I let my elbow sit on the arm rest and my head in my hand.

"C'mon, dearie. You've got to work with me here, I'm tryin' to help ya." She begged, clasping her hands over her knee.

I sighed, leaning back. "Fine. There's this one that won't shut up about her son."

Moira smiled slightly. "Do you recall her name?"

"No." I said, looking away. "I didn't know any of them."

"Did you take all of your medicine today?"

"Yeah."

 _I want my son,_ The voice rasped, making me hiss.

"Just behave and I'll be happy to have you out." I replied, rubbing my head.

"Impressive." Moira commented. "You continue ta have conversations with them?"

"You betcha." I replied. "Quite annoying."

"Alright, just relax your mind." She said, putting her glasses on top of her head again.

"Hard to do that when I have an entire populace inside of here." I muttered, tapping my temple.

She gave me a type of glare, making me sigh again.

"Fine, fine. Considered it relaxed."

"Listen to my voice only." She soothed. "Close your eyes."

"You're the only one talking." I said softly, closing my eyes.

She chose to ignore me. "How many mutants lived on Genosha?"

"One-million-six-hundred-thousand." I said carefully. "How is this helping?"

"You don't sound relaxed..."

I hissed, shutting my eyes.

"How many did you know personally?"

"None." I answered. "Just my family and several of the guards and Acolytes."

"Did you ever leave the palace?"

"Yeah, tons of times. Just to have a night to myself or to watch the productions the other mutants put on."

"Did you know any women with children?"

I swallowed. "No. I saw many women with children."

"Did you know any children?"

"No."

"How did you end up in the hidden hatch?" Moira asked. I could tell she was reading from whatever information Scott had given her.

"My father pushed me; he was trying to stop me from following him."

"Following him where?"

"He..." I trailed off, feeling a new wave of guilt hit me. "He said he was going to stop the Sentinels from destroying his dreams. I was going after him, but he pushed me down the hatch just as a Sentinel grabbed him."

"Did you try to get back up?"

I shook my head, feeling the tears welling in my eyes. "The long drop knocked me unconscious. When I fully woke, I was here."

By the sounds of it, she was writing down notes on my little story.

"Now, I'd like you to force that voice out, along with any others that occasionally cause a ruckus."

"How exactly do you expect me to just...force something out?" I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

 _I want my son_ , The voice repeated.

"Oh my god, will you just shut up for one second?!" I snapped, squeezing my eyes shut even tighter.

"Force her out!" Moira said more forcefully. "Push her, tell her you have no business in your mind!"

At the sudden burst of anger, I imagined myself shoving the voice as hard as I could, pushing her out of my mind.

Aside from the residual chitchat of the other residents in my head, I was pleased to find nobody complaining about their son. I couldn't blame her, though; if I had a child, I would never want to be separated from it. I just wish she hadn't been repeating it in my ear all day long.

"Get rid of another one." Moira ordered, her voice stiff still.

I looked, picking one out and shoving him out as well; the more I practiced, the easier it got. Voice after voice after voice, gone within my three hour training session. I went from about 80 voices to 50, making my head even quieter, my thoughts almost my own again.

"Good job, Lorna." Moira praised, smiling. "We'll continue again this evenin' if ya like."

I shrugged. "It depends on how I feel later."

"Alright. Tell me whatever you prefer."

I nodded, standing. "Thanks."

She smiled; just in time, Jane came in to escort me back to my room.

"I'll come in and check on ya later." She said, opening my door.

"Alright. If I'm sleeping, don't bother waking me. You can leave the tray on the nightstand again." Despite my victories, the effort of purging myself of the presences exhausted me; and I had just woken up, too.

She smiled warmly. "Of course." She said, closing the door behind her.

I trudged over to my bed, curling up on the marshmallow-like mattress.

I only imagined myself back in my bed, strong arms wrapped around my body, the same strong arms I knew I wouldn't feel again. Still, it was nice to dream of them while I could.


	4. Not Visiting Hours

Chapter Four: Not Visiting Hours

"Alex!" Rogue's voice filtered through the Danger Room.

Her voice caught me off guard and I turned to look at the observation deck. The little boy I was sparring with took the advantage and punched me in the stomach, kicked me in the shin and ran.

I hissed, rubbing my leg. "I'm kinda busy, Rogue." I called back loudly.

She chuckled. "Hank wants ya, pronto. Says it's important!"

"Can it wait?"

"Did ya miss the part where ah said it was important?"

I sighed. "Class dismissed." I murmured, watching as the children sprang from the room.

I followed, but turned at the last hall and entered the lab. "What's up?" I asked. "Ended my class fifteen minutes early."

"My apologies." The blue mutant said, scanning a draw for a file. "I just received a call from Moira, requesting our presence at Muir Island."

I stiffened. "Is everything okay?"

"She says things are fine, but didn't go into any detail. She wanted to tell us in person and give us a few files; if we're discussing Genosha, the phone lines aren't a safe place to talk." He said, finding the file he was looking for.

"Okay...so when do you and Scott go?" I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, watching him.

"Actually, your brother's a bit busy, so it's you and me. Also, I suggest you get ready; we're leaving in half an hour."

I turned, speeding upstairs to my room. Showering, I threw on clothes, grasped my jacket and rushed back downstairs, shaking out my damp hair as I did so.

I met Hank at one of the smaller jets; he stood there, fully dressed and a bag that I guessed was full of files he had pulled.

"What's in the bag?" I asked once we were in the air.

"Lorna's files. If Moira found anything more I want to add on." He answered. "You can look if you want."

Having nothing else to do, I grasped the bag and pulled it onto my lap, unzipping it. Choosing one, I found the latest one he had written; her accident in Genosha. Almost the ends of every sentence held a dotted question mark- it meant nothing made sense.

I pulled another one, an identification file. Her description was written out, hair color, eye color, weight, height, even skin color and family relations. At the top, her photo was paper-clipped to the file.

"Why her description?" I asked.

"In case something about her changes." Hank said almost as if it were obvious.

"Like what, her hair goes pink?"

He snorted. "You can never be too prepared."

That's how we spent the trip, reading files. When we finally arrived, it was nighttime in Scotland. The white facility stood out, bright lights shining, machines moving, people talking.

"Hank, what kind of research facility is this...?" I asked as we started walking.

"A very good one." He answered.

At the doors, a small woman with short dark red hair stood there, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Doctor." Hank greeted, slowing to a stop in front of her.

"Hank!" She said, a smile erupting over her face. She gave him a large hug, one he was happy to return. When she pulled back, she looked at me. "We haven't met before." She said, extending her hand.

"No." I responded, grasping her hand tightly in a firm hand shake. "Alex Summers."

She looked from Hank to me. "Scott Summers?"

"Brother." I smiled, rubbing the back of my neck. "We get that a lot."

"Come in come in!" She waved us towards the door.

When we entered, it didn't look so much like a nuthouse as I expected it to look like. In fact, it looked like it was based off of the old version of Xavier's Mansion. Neat and old styled wallpaper coated the walls, polished wood furnishings lightening the dampened mood. Two staircases started on either side of us and twisted into opposite sides of the building.

"The staircase to my right leads into the east wing, where all of the patients' rooms are. The staircase to my left leads to the west wing, where all the offices and appointments are. The path straightforward is where the science and experiment labs and the infirmary are." She pointed as she explained each part, but led us off onto the left staircase. As we walked I tried to catch a glimpse of the east wing, but was blocked by the opposite staircase.

She led us into her office, neat and cleaned. I sat in a leather chair beside Hank.

"Is she alright?" Hank asked once he had settled. "What was so important that we had to come all the way over here?"

Moira looked at him, settled in her own seat at her desk. "Did you bring her files?"

"Yes, they're all here." He patted the bag on his lap.

"Good. Now, she's been here for the past few hundred days and she's made enormous progress. But in the copy of the file you gave me when she first got here...well, it was incorrect." Moira looked down at her desk, like something was wrong.

"Incorrect how?" Hank sat forward in his seat, truly interested.

"Well, I've broken through to Lorna Dane herself. She's well enough to walk and talk on her own. But those few other personalities you say she created...well, there aren't a few, and she didn't create them."

My eyes narrowed. "You're saying she managed to obtain the personas of other people?"

"I've actually managed to figure out what happened in Genosha." Moira pulled out her own file, opening it on the desk. "She doesn't know who sent the Sentinels, but she was with her father when they started nearing the palace. She said he was going to stop them and pushed her down a hole to prevent her from following him. When she fully woke up, she was here."

"That relates to the theory of how she got in the hatch in the first place...but it doesn't explain the voices." Hank said, rubbing his chin.

"I know. I got the samples of rock and you were right, one was more magnetized than the other. I asked Lorna about it and she said that as she was falling, she released a massive magnetic field in an attempt to protect the entire island."

Both Hank and I were silent at that. Genosha...well, Genosha was a massive landmass. I didn't even think Erik was able to do that.

"Is...is that entirely possible?" Hank asked, his voice shocked.

"Apparently. She gives off massive amounts of energy when her emotions spike negatively, like she's stressed or scared or anxious...in this case, terrified."

"Still...what does that have to do with the other voices in her head?" I asked, growing scared myself.

Moira looked at me sadly. "The dying people that were being covered by her shield...their ghosts were trapped in her mind due to her heavy concentration on the force field."

It felt like someone grabbed a brick and smacked me in the forehead with it.

"That's impossible." I said, leaning forward as well. "There were more than a million people on that island!"

"Her mind is very strong...I almost didn't believe it at first. But I started counting the ones we got rid of from day one and I can tell you it's way over a million."

My head ached for her. The entire population of Genosha, trapped in her mind.

"How many are left?" Hank asked, filling in my stunned silence.

"I'm hoping somewhere in the double digits. Maybe low forties or thirties."

Hank pulled her file across the table, looking it over. "What's this about depression?"

"According to her, her island was blown up, her father and brother and sister are missing, she shares her thinking space with very negative voices, and something about a space crash that killed her boyfriend before she went to Genosha."

My back went rigid as it suddenly dawned on me that I had last seen Lorna in the Starjammer's ship before Gabriel decided to throw me into a freaking star. She thought I was dead; nobody told her otherwise.

"Hank...?" I said, turning to look at him. "I thought you told her..."

"Uh...you see, when she returned from space, she went to live on Genosha. She cut off communications and we just happened to find you while she was there."

"You said she took a break!"

"She did...well not really, she was actually spying on her father."

I stood, needing air. " _You sent her_?"

"No! She went all by herself and we couldn't stop her! I didn't think anything of this sort would happen!"

"Could one of you explain what exactly is going on?" Moira asked, making me remember she was still there.

"I'm her dead boyfriend!" I said in a hushed yell.

Things get so much better, right?

Moira stared at me and then at Hank.

"We need to tell her!" I shifted uncomfortably now, eager to see her.

"No." They both said at the same time.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" I wanted to fling everything off of her desk.

"Her mind is still in a fragile state." Moira explained. "Seeing you might throw her back into an even bigger loop of confusion. I would suggest you wait until she gets everything else out of the way before revealing yourself to her."

Hank tapped the armrest of my chair, motioning for me to sit down again.

I groaned inwardly, flopping back down.

"When do you think she'll be well enough to come home?" Hank asked, tapping his fingers together thoughtfully.

"She's had amazing progress with outing the voices. When that's done, I want to do another mental screening to see where she is. If it's positive, I'll let her go within that week. If negative, then...we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there." Moira adjusted her glasses on top of her head.

"How are her actions? Does she talk much? Have you noticed any habits?" Hank started flipping through his file bag again.

"When it comes to responding to other people, she's not all that friendly." The redhead flipped her book, seemingly of notes she took. "She's often sarcastic and rude, but does what she's told."

I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face, and cupped my hand under my nose to hide it from them.

"No habits that I've recorded; there's a gray knapsack in her room though. She hasn't touched it."

"Do you think you can get her to?" I asked. "Some of her old stuff is in there."

"Like what?"

"Her drawing pad is there; she liked to draw. A few of her parent's stuff and jewelry she always carried. Nothing big."

Moira nodded. "I'll get her nurse to persuade her somehow."

"Oh, one last thing," Hank said, sitting up. "can I see her?"

Moira pressed her lips together, thinking. "I don't know, Hank. She's sleepin' now."

"Of course. When she wakes, do you mind telling her that I stopped by?"

"No problem. Thank ya so much for seein' me, Hank." Moira stood, reaching over the desks to shake our hands.

"The pleasure is ours." He said, shaking her hand warmly.

"Nice to meet you." I said, taking her hand once again.

"Likewise."


	5. Hurting

Chapter Five: Hurting

I woke with a start, cold sweat sliding down my back and chest. The room was no longer vibrating as bombs hit the ground, no more scorching heat burning my skin. The terror slowly ebbed away as I realized I was back in my lovely little room on Muir Island. I was no happier to realize that Judith left the tray beside me, just as I had requested. Surprisingly, there was only two cups instead of three; they were trying to ease me off of certain medications. That meant I was getting out of here soon.

Next to the paper cups, there was a small sticky note, neat cursive letters scribbled on it.

 _Here are your meds for the day. Smile a bit and open up the bag in the corner of the room._

 _-Jamie_

At least she left some clue to what her name was. Not that I'd remember it anyway.

After downing the medication, I glanced over to the corner. Instead of smiling, I did quite the opposite as I glanced over Alex's knapsack again.

He had let me borrow it when I went on an undercover mission and I never really got around to give it back.

Pained memories of his evil brother, Gabriel (two Summers brothers was enough, trust me, we didn't need a third one; all of the heartache and brooding was unhealthy for everyone) hit me, images of him throwing Alex into an inferno, into a ball of heat and gas; when Alex died, a part of me did the same.

Whoever packed the knapsack to bring over here probably had no idea it was his. Why the nurse wanted me to open it, I had no idea. Why should she care what was inside of it? It was most likely another personal mind session; they had been doing that lately, leaving things for me to find, hoping it would trigger something positive in my mind.

Having nothing better to do, I pushed the covers off and grasped the gray bag, pulling it back to the bed. Carefully I unzipped the largest pocket like it was made of tissue paper. There, at the very bottom of the bag, was one of his t-shirts. My favorite, to be exact, the faded light blue color always bringing his eyes out. I used to wear it all the time, in love with the masculine scent forever imbedded into the fibers. I held it tightly, breathing in the scent of home.

Digging around some more, I found a vial of liquid metal, which only confused me further. I set it down on top of the shirt, shifting to the smaller pocket in front.

I pulled out my key chain; the keys to the Mansion's front and back door, the sub level manual access, and the front gates hung on a ring, along with the metal charm Alex bought for my birthday a while back. The fact that my key chain sat in the bag only continued to freak me out. I had purposefully left it in my room in Genosha, changing the words around as a clue.

With barely any concentration, _Help Us All_ turned back to _I Love You_. I laid it down next the vial on the shirt.

The last item in the bag made me refuse to hold my tears back any longer. A simple woven bracelet with several blue and white beads strung on the sides made me recognize Alex's souvenir from his life in Hawaii. He never took it off, excluding the times he wore his suit. I dumped the vial and the keychain in the bag and pushed it to the floor clutching the shirt to my chest, my grip tight on the bracelet. I fell backwards onto the bed again, my head hitting the pillow as sob after sob racked my body.

I hated everything. I hated this stupid island, I hated Genosha, I hated humans, I hated the X-Men; everything caused me pain. Humans sent Sentinels and hurt everyone, they hurt me; Alex was dead because of his job and I was barely recovering because of mine.

I didn't think it was possible to miss someone that much. I didn't think missing someone so much could hurt as bad as it did.

The memory of his beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair made me cry even harder. I would give anything to see him one last time, to touch him, to smell him, to kiss him, to just be in his embrace once again, to feel his presence. I would do anything to have him back; I would rejoin the Acolytes if it meant having him back. I would love my father if it meant having him back.

I was hurt. I was sad. A combination of the both, I grew angry. I wanted to rip the facility apart, well aware that I had the ability to do it. I wanted to scream, wanted to rip the entire island and everyone with it to pieces. But despite my boiling emotions, all I could do was sob, to cry harder and harder, to hate everything because I couldn't do anything about anything.

The door flew open and Moira ran in.

"Oh, dearie." She said, sitting on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you do this?" I asked, holding up the items. "Why did you use his things as a test?"

She seemed to catch on immediately. She grabbed my hand tightly, her voice sympathetic. "We didn't use any of these as a test, love."

"Your nurse left a note on the tray! She told me to open the knapsack, told me to smile! How did any of you know what was in it?" I cried, brushing my hands through my hair.

She was silent for a moment. "Let me just take them and put it back. I'll send the bag back to your friends." Moira reached for the items in my killer grip.

I pulled away before she could touch them. "No!" I cried loudly. "I want them here! They're all that I have left of him."

"Alright, alright." She said, pulling her hand back. "Look dear, you'll be alright. I promise, things'll look much better. In fact, Hank stopped by to check in."

I wanted to curl up and die. "Why didn't you let me see him!?"

"You were fast asleep, love. Medicine wouldn't have worn off by then."

More tears rushed down my face.

She reached over to the nightstand and pulled a tissue from the box, wiping my tear soaked cheeks.

"I want to talk to them. I want to go back." I looked at her through blurry vision. "Please Moira, just send me back. I want to go home."

"I know." She soothed, tucking hair behind my ear. "But you need to get better first. How about we work on those voices again, hm?"

"I just want them to leave me alone." I whimpered, sounding more like an abandoned child than a sad adult.

"How many do you think are left?" She asked, squeezing my hand.

"I dunno...about 20 or 30." I wiped my nose, aware that I probably looked like total crap.

"Good. Let's get them out. I promise, you'll go home soon."


	6. Down and Then Up

Chapter Six: Down and then Up

Gradually, the number of extra voices depleted until only few were left; just under 15 if I wasn't mistaken.

I sat on the bench outside, shaded by a tall tree just above me. I could feel the eyes of the staff on me, waiting for me to slip. They were all positioned there, waiting to pounce and bring me back to my room.

 _So, who's Alex?_ One voice asked, making me hiss.

"None of your damn business." I snapped quietly. In my anger, I focused on pushing it out until the questions about my dead lover ceased.

Moira was proud, now that I had begun to rid myself of voices without her help. If the action of kicking them out wasn't so exhausting, I'd be on that jet back to New York by now.

 _Was fighting Vulcan difficult?_ Another voice asked.

Why the hell was that certain part of my life so interesting all of a sudden? Probably because I wasn't thinking of anything else.

"Was closing your mouth difficult?" I answered, shoving him out as well.

Honestly, I had been working on being nicer. I was just in a bad mood, that's all. Nothing personal.

"Lorna." A nurse came up to me, holding a phone. "It's for you."

That was new. I was actually touched that they trusted me with a phone.

"Thanks." I said softly, taking the bulky device into my hands. "Hello?" I asked as the nurse walked away.

"Lorna?"

"Scott!" I was almost as happy as I sounded and I sat up straight.

"Hey." He said, his voice also pleased. "How are you doin'?"

"I'm okay. This place isn't very action packed by the way. How are you?"

He chuckled. "I'm alright. We came back from Europe a few days ago."

"Lucky. What was the situation?"

"Oh, some group of mutants were terrorizing a small town."

"Cool." I sat there, debating on saying it or not. "Scott?"

"Yeah?" His voice sounded pained, like he missed me too.

"Do you think about Alex all the time?"

The line was silent, like the question caught him off guard. I know it was bold and out of place, but the curiosity was beginning to eat away at me.

"Yeah. Everyday. Why?"

"I feel like he's following me." I did. I didn't believe in that ghost crap (although I should, considering I had about a million of them locked up in my head) but I just felt like a bunch of the things I did here had something to do with Alex.

"Why would you say that?" His voice took on a pitch higher, showing his total confusion.

"Did you pack the gray knapsack? It's here with me." I had to know. If Scott didn't, then no one could have. No one but Alex.

"I did." My heart sank partially as he said so, but I continued.

"It's his bag. How did you know to pack those things? His bracelet and t-shirt, it was in the bag along with a few other things...how did you know?" My fingers trembled and threatened to drop the phone, but I continued. I had to know, I just had to.

"Lucky guess. I saw you wearing them a few times, I figured to give you a few things to make you feel more at home."

"Scott, they were my favorites. Nobody knew but Alex."

"I guess I know you better than you think I do."

I was devastated. Part of me wanted to believe Alex, in some form, packed them and gave it to me. The other part wanted to believe Scott, that he knew me better than I thought he did.

"Lorna?" His voice broke through my haze.

I shook my head. "Sorry. I have to go. I have another session in a few minutes."

"Please don't."

I froze. Something about his voice sounded horribly similar to Alex's.

I covered my mouth with my hand, stopping the sound of my oncoming whimper of surprise and pain.

"What...what did you say?" I asked. I had to hear it, I had to hear Alex again.

"Please don't go." It was Scott. Unmistakably Scott. I slowly accepted that it was my imagination trying to fill the void and grasped my head.

"Sorry. I'll talk to you later." I cut off the rest of his sentence, ending the call.

Stop it, imagination. You're ruining everything.

I placed the phone down on the picnic table, rubbing my temples. The only way to end this "Alex obsession" was to go home, and the only way to do that was to get rid of these voices and act like a good girl.

I leaned into the table and continued shoving personalities out.

"You can't do that, Alex." Scott said, placing the phone on the hook. "You nearly blew your cover right there."

"I know. I'm sorry, it slipped." I said, rubbing my forehead. I had been listening to Scott's conversation with Lorna. As she was hanging up, I begged her not to go; I didn't mean to say it out loud. It just fell out.

"What were you thinking, packing a bag full of your stuff?!" My brother continued his lecture. "This isn't the time to play romantic boyfriend! Did you miss the part where she gets even sicker if she finds out you're alive, much less thinks your ghost is following her around?!"

"What I was thinking? I was thinking about her! I was thinking that she would need something to relax her while she was there!" All I wanted was for her to be comfortable. I was just thinking of her. I wished Scott would get past the criticizing part and say, "it's the thought that counts."

"No, Alex, you weren't thinking!" His voice raised the more concerned he seemed to grow. "If she thinks you're dead, then just play dead!"

I flinched slightly at the words. "Thought you would be glad to have me back." I mumbled, stalking out of the room.

I just want Lorna back. I want things to go back to the way they were before, where she was here and I was here and we weren't afraid of losing each other. Now? I'm killed by my long lost brother, she's destroyed by Sentinels, and we're forced apart by a few million voices, several thousand miles, and my supposed death.

Life couldn't get much better than this.

Several weeks passed without word from Moira or Lorna. Hank said it was normal, but it didn't stop me from growing nervous.

"Alex!" Hank called as I was walking passed the lab. I was on my way up for a shower having finished my personal training simulation.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked, backing up into the lab.

"Got a call from Moira." He said, smiling. "She's done it."

My heart burst, yet I couldn't be certain. "Who's done what?" I asked, ruffling my sweat dampened hair.

"Lorna. She's gotten rid of the personalities."

I felt like going out into the hall and doing a happy dance, but I kept my cool. "That's great! Is she alright?"

"She's tired, but Moira said she was going to do the mental screening tomorrow. If everything is clear...well, we have to start planning a party." Hank's white teeth showed in a glistening grin and I returned it; just less wide.

"What about...well, what about me?" I asked.

"What about you?"

"She thinks I'm dead. Wouldn't appearing at a welcome back party knock her back into oblivion?" Despite the hilariousness of it all, I was serious. I didn't want our romantics spoiled by her insanity.

"Well...I'm hoping that it would actually be quite a surprise. Like a soldier returning to his family for the first time."

I rubbed my face. "You're telling me...there's a possibility she'll freak out?"

"Yup. A small one, though. If it doesn't work, we'll take care of it quickly. I promise."

I stared at him for a moment. "...okay." I mumbled, turning and headed back for the elevators.

Time to plan.


	7. Alive Again

Chapter Seven: Alive Again

You've never felt relief until your thoughts are your own again. You've never felt relief until you've been cleared sane once again. You've never felt relief until you finally have the green light to go home.

The mental screening went by like a breeze. They tested my mental strengths, scanned my brain, asked a few trick questions, and before you knew it, I was able to begin packing.

I danced around my room a little, jumped on the bed, and accidentally cracked the nightstand while doing a Rockette Kick- don't ask me how it happened, it just did.

No more swallowing a zillion pills at a time. No more nurses storming into my rooms, no more being escorted to and from places; I could finally do things on my own. Not that I'd immediately go drive a car or fly a jet; we would ease into that another time. But I stood there, wriggling into my dark blue jeans with a wide grin plastered to my face.

I was going home.

I pulled my shirt on, running to the bathroom to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I didn't even bother to fold my clothes; I dumped everything into the suitcase and zipped it shut, pulling it up to stand on its own. I checked under the bed, in the broken nightstand, and back into the bathroom to assure myself everything was packed.

I gently tied Alex's bracelet to my wrist; I had to double it over my hand since his wrist was so damn big. I took the vile of liquid metal, pulling it from the tube and solidified it into a small band that slid onto my finger as a simple ring.

The door opened and Jamie entered, smiling. "Ready to go, dear?"

"All packed to go." I said eagerly.

"This might be the happiest I seen y'." She commented, laughing. "C'mon. Yer friends landed a few minutes ago."

I grabbed my bag, slinging the backpack over my shoulder and followed her out. We went back to the west wing, but instead of heading straight for the library, we looped around to Moira's office.

My teeth were chattering in excitement as she opened the door. In both office chairs sat Hank and Scott.

Scott stood in time to catch me as I threw myself at him in an excited hug. His arms wrapped around my back tightly as he returned the affection, laughing slightly. "Good to see you too."

"Tell me you're taking me out of here." I said, looking up at him.

"You betcha." He said, smiling. "We're signing the papers now."

I pulled away, giving the same hug to Hank. His soft furs got in my face, but the important thing was that we were there.

Moira smiled as Jamie came around to stand next to her. "How are you feelin' this evenin'?"

"Like normal." I said, noticing it for the first time. "No one's whispering in my ear anymore or picking through my thoughts."

"Good." She turned to Hank. "I want her back here in a month for a check up to see how her mind has progressed."

"Any medications to take?" He asked, adjusting his jacket.

"If she has any depression episodes, give her this. Any panic attacks or fear of more voices, just give her this." Moira handed two orange pill bottles to Hank who tucked them carefully in his bag.

"Sign here and here and your all good to go." She pointed to several lines on a sheet of paper on the desk; both Scott and Hank signed twice.

"Thank ya." She said, placing the paper in a file and put the file in a cabinet, locking it back. "It was good to see ya laddies again. Lorna, take good care, alright?"

I nodded. "Will do. Thank you, Moira, for everything."

She smiled. "It's my job. Now go! Have a safe trip back!"

"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Scott asked, helping me into the jet.

"Medically, no. It was perfect. I was just really lonely. They acted like I was going to kill myself; they didn't even let me have a towel dispenser in my bathroom, in case I decided to suffocate myself with it." I paused. "Is that even possible?"

Hank laughed, shaking his head. "I think they did well. I heard you were quite the friendly one."

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't do anything, so of course I was rough around the edges."

I thrilled as the jet lifted off of the ground and shot away from the retched island.

"What time is it in New York?" I asked, eager to go home.

Hank looked at his watch- when did he start wearing watches? "About three o'clock. Five hours behind Scotland."

We sat in silence for a while as I watched us outrun the darkness.

"About the backpack." I said, holding the gray bag on my lap. "What's with the metal vial?"

Hank looked at Scott, who only tightened his jaw.

"I thought you would need some practice. We can't have you of all people getting rusty." He said, his tone light and playful.

I looked at the ring on my finger and shrugged. "Thanks. I didn't use it but it was thoughtful."

My eagerness slowly ebbed away and revealed my fatigue beneath it. Sure I was excited, but I was exhausted at the same time. There was too much stuff happening at once.

I was almost asleep when the oversized mansion came into view.

Home. My home was just beneath us.

I sat up, wiping my eyes as the jet soared into the waterfall around the back; that was where the smaller jets entered and exited; the Blackbird would go through the basketball court.

Tears filled my eyes when I saw a group of particularly familiar people standing in the hangar waiting for the jet to slow to a stop. The minute it did, I pushed the door open, stepping out.

"Lorna...?" Jean stood at the front, her hands clasped in front of her mouth.

I laughed, running into her, wrapping her in a tight hug. She gave her own relief filled laugh, hugging me back tightly.

"You're okay..." She said, reassuring herself more than stating it. "Oh my god, you're okay..."

"I'm okay." I said, pulling back to look at her. "I'm fine, Jean."

"I just can't believe you're okay." She said, laughing and crying. "Was it fun?"

"God, no." I said, smiling. "But I'm here. If I ever want to stay anywhere else, please talk me out of it."

"Hey, princess." Bobby said, pushing Jean out of the way.

I smiled, hugging him as well. "Not anymore."

"Quick, what's my name?" He asked, pulling back.

"I didn't know you had one." I replied with ease, going on to greet the others.

Rogue, Betsy, Logan, Remy, Warren, they all greeted me with joyful smiles and encouraging murmurs.

"C'mon, there's food inside." Jean said as the others drifted inside.

"Alright, Lemme grab my bag." I turned, walking back to the jet.

Scott and Hank had taken my suitcase and left, but were smart enough to leave my knapsack. I grabbed the bag by the straps when a new voice rumbled behind me.

"What, I don't get a greeting?"

My blood went cold as goosebumps began to dot my arms. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. I was home now, why was this continuing?

I had to. I couldn't stop myself from turning slowly, the back pack forgotten in the jet. I sucked in air as his figure stood several hundred feet away from the aircraft.

I backed up until my back hit the body of the jet, tears springing in my eyes. Both hands flew to my face as I tried to block out the wail I felt starting in my throat.

"N-no." I stuttered. "Y-you're not here. Go away."

He shrugged, that damned smirk on his face. "I can go, but I'll still be there when you go upstairs."

"Stop it." I said, tears already flooding my face. "Stop following me."

"I've been here the entire time." He paused, digging his hands in his jeans pockets. "I survived."

"No. Nobody survives the heat of an exploding star. I saw it with my own eyes." I wanted him to go but didn't want him to leave; if Alex freaking Summers was standing there, I needed proof.

"Turns out I had a secondary mutation; I'm impervious to burns." He smiled. "Seriously, no hello? Not even a kiss?"

I noticed Jean standing beside me for the first time.

"Tell me you see him too." I begged, wanting her to see him so badly.

"Lorna, he's been here since Genosha." She said softly, smiling. "He's alive."

My mind whirled. Dear god, my dead lover was standing in front of me in the flesh and blood, waiting for me to make a move.

"Alex...?" I said, my voice dropping. "Please tell me it's you."

"C'mere, babe."

I shot forward before I could tell my feet what to do. In less than a second, I threw myself into his arms, wrapping myself in his embrace. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me off of the ground. He spun me around for a moment before setting me back down, laughing.

My hands ran up his arms, squeezing his shoulders, touching his face, assuring myself that he was very real. More tears erupted from my eyes, dripping off of my chin and falling to the ground between us.

His hands came up, wiping my face.

"I found you." I whispered, my breath shaky.

"I found you first." He whispered back, kissing my forehead.

My arms finally found their way around his neck, pulling his head down so his lips pressed against mine.

We stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the feeling of the other. I bit on his lip, eliciting a groan from his throat; to assure myself he was there.

He pulled back, looking down at me thoughtfully. "Didn't realize you wanted me that much."

I laughed, tears still spilling. "I'm scared I'll wake up and you won't be there."

He pushed my hair out of the way, tilted his head, and bit down on the crook of my neck, making me hiss. The bite turned into a tender kiss, which traveled up the side of my neck and landed on my lips once again.

"I'm right here. I promise." He whispered in my ear, sending thrilling shivers down my back.

"Alright you two." Jean said, stopping us before it went any further than she would have liked to see. "Let's go inside, shall we?" She handed Alex the bag, tugging me along.

That night, I refused to sleep alone. I wanted to be next to him, to feel him, to smell him, to see him when I woke up.

I slid into bed beside him, his arms immediately snaking around my waist. They pulled me closer, allowing me to tangle my legs with his, to rest my head on his broad chest. I heard his heartbeat, closing my eyes to concentrate on the strong rhythm.

"It's there." He said, brushing his hands through my hair. "I promise."

"I thought I was never going to see you again." I admitted, intertwining my fingers with his.

"You'll always see me." He said, chuckling. "This face is everywhere."

I rolled my eyes. "You gave me the bag, not Scott."

"Correct." Alex's finger's drummed a soft and lazy beat on my hip.

"You were on the phone." I said, recalling the day I heard his voice.

"Also true."

"You visited when Hank came by. You told the nurse to make me open the bag."

"Look at you; you could be the next Sherlock Holmes." He teased, pressing a kiss to my head.

"Always come back to me." I whispered, enjoying the feeling of his warmth leaking into me.

"I will if you will."

I smiled, shutting my eyes, his heartbeat strong in my ear, his breathing steady and sure.

"Deal."

"I love you, Lorna."

"I love you too."


End file.
